Chapter 360 Van Blous Insignia

Isaac laughed, the sound lighter than before.

"Alright, fine. Maybe a little part of me wouldn’t mind that. But the will is gone, that fool Clive stole it and lost it. In these treacherous forests of all the places."

"You're telling me Clive stole the will, and then just... lost it? In the forests, of all places? Seriously? So, he doesn’t even remember where he lost it? Like, no clue at all? Did it get eaten by a monster? Was it on paper or something? I mean, it’s destroyed? How did all of this even happened?"

Isaac sighed, running a hand through his hair, his voice heavy with the weight of the story.

"Well, you see, this is where my uncle slipped. He wanted to kill Clive to tie up loose ends, just like he did with the group he hired to kill my family. But Clive—being the snake he was—sensed something was off and fled, taking the will with him."

He paused, a flicker of frustration crossing his face.

"I tracked him down after a while. Found him holed up with a party of adventurers he’d scammed into working with him on some bogus treasure hunt in the forest. What I didn’t know back then was that my uncle was one step ahead. He’d hired an assassin to follow Clive and retrieve the will—and to make sure Clive didn’t leave that forest alive."

Isaac leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, as if trying to hold back the memories.

"I confronted Clive while they were deep in the forest. And, well... everything went straight to hell. The assassin made his move, monsters descended, and the whole place turned into a big mess. Clive was trying to save his own skin, the adventurers were blindsided by the whole thing, and the assassin… well, he wasn’t there to play fair."

His voice softened, laced with regret.

"I tried to help the adventurers, but they didn’t stand a chance. By the time I managed to deal with the assassin, it was too late. Clive was gone, dragged off by monsters or maybe trying to crawl away with what was left of him. He’d lost a leg in the fight—maybe more. The adventurers were dead, and the forest was a bloodbath."

Isaac let out a bitter chuckle, his eyes distant.

"Clive admitted he’d lost the will back then, but he couldn’t tell me exactly where. And now, after all this time, with the forest as dangerous as it is, there’s no way to know where the royal crest with my father’s will ended up. So, yeah. That’s the mess I’ve been living with. Even if I wanted to try and find it now, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack—except the haystack is full of monsters, traps, and God knows what else."

Suzuka leaned back, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her chin as her eyes narrowed in thought. 

"Clive, forest, wiped-out party... lost leg," she muttered, the pieces rattling around in her head. Suddenly, her face lit up with realization, and a sly, smug grin spread across her lips.

"Wait—hold on a sec. By any chance, the royal crest you’re talking about—is it on a fancy-looking belt?"

 "Yes. A belt with a big buckle shaped like the Van Blous insignia."

Suzuka tilted her head, her grin widening as she leaned closer to Isaac.

 "Listen, when I first met Clive, he was a mess—missing an arm, orc was chewing on it, and a leg. He was barely holding it together. That torn-up leg of his? He had it strapped with this ridiculously fancy belt to stop the bleeding. I noticed it right away because, well, it didn’t exactly scream ‘low-life scammer.’ It looked like it belonged to some rich nobleman."

She chuckled, her tone growing more animated.

 "Anyway, long story short, things went south real quick. Monsters showed up, Clive panicked, and the coward left me to die. In his hurry to save his own hide, he dropped the belt—probably too busy looting my stuff to even notice."

Suzuka leaned back with a nonchalant shrug. 

"I picked it up because it was, well, pretty. Thought I could get something out of it later, but it ended up as my paperweight for the past few years. The belt itself was trashed, but the buckle? Oh, that thing was pretty. So, yeah... I've had your precious royal crest sitting on my desk this whole time. Small world, huh?"

Isaac's jaw dropped, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets in disbelief. His voice cracked slightly as he stammered, "Huh! What? You have it?!"

He took a step closer to Suzuka, his hands reaching out almost instinctively as if trying to grasp the very air between them. 

"Can... can I see it? You have it? Where is it?!" He was practically vibrating with excitement, unable to contain his shock. His mind raced as he tried to process what Suzuka had just casually dropped into the conversation. The belt... the royal crest... his father’s will—it had all been right under his nose, in the most unlikely of places.

Suzuka gave a sly grin as she shrugged nonchalantly, "I got it, don't worry. Let's get back to the inn, and I'll give it to you."

Isaac, still wide-eyed and eager, followed her as they made their way back to the inn.

Once inside the room, Suzuka made a gesture toward her magical item storage, and in the next moment, the belt buckle materialized in her hand. She held it out to Isaac with a smile, "Here you go."

Isaac's eyes fell on the buckle, and his breath hitched. It was unmistakable—the Van Blous insignia. It was perfectly intact despite the damage to the rest of the belt. The intricate design of the noble crest glimmered faintly in the light, confirming that this was indeed the royal crest he had been searching for all these years.

"It’s... it’s really it..." Isaac muttered, almost as if talking to himself. 

"This... this is the belt Clive stole. The one my father’s will is in. And now... it’s here. You have no idea what this means. You’ve done more than just help me—this... this is everything."

Isaac's hands shook slightly as he held the belt buckle in front of him. His mana flowed into the intricate design. A faint glow emanated from the symbol, and with a quiet click, the buckle split open, revealing its hidden compartment.

Inside, nestled carefully between the layers of the buckle, was a folded piece of parchment and a small, crystalline object—a voice crystal.

Isaac's heart raced as he gently picked up the parchment, his fingers trembling slightly with anticipation. He unfolded it, eyes scanning the text, while the voice crystal gleamed in his palm.

"This... this is it. This is the last will of my father. And the voice crystal... it could be a recording of him. Something I've longed for all these years."

He looked over at Suzuka, his expression now a mix of disbelief and gratitude.

 "This... you have no idea what you've done for me. Not only did you bring me the physical proof of my inheritance, but also some closure—my father’s voice, his final words."

He paused, collecting himself as he placed the parchment down on the table.

 "I have no idea what's on this, but I need to hear it... for everything to make sense. I need to know what my father wanted, why everything happened the way it did."

His hands hovered over the voice crystal.

 "This... this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I... I can't express how much this means to me. With this, I can finally begin to restore what was lost, to rebuild my family’s legacy, and fulfill the promises I made to my father." 

He sighed deeply, the weight of the moment pressing on him. 

"But... this also means I can't just drop everything and return to your town right away. I’ve got to focus on rebuilding my house, securing my position, and ensuring that my father’s legacy is protected. It’ll take some time, maybe a few months, but I promise you this: I will keep my word. I will support you, just as I promised. This will not be forgotten."

Isaac paused, running a hand through his hair as if trying to steady himself. 

"I need to go now—this can’t wait. I have responsibilities to tend to, things that require my immediate attention. I hope you understand, Helen."

"Sure, no problem. Happy to help. Just don't forget about me, write a letter or something."

 He gave her a soft but sincere smile.

 "Once I've stabilized things, I will be right there by your side. You won’t have to wait long."

He stood up, adjusting his coat.

 "Thank you again. For everything. I’ll make sure to honor our agreement. Just... give me some time. I’ll make it right."

Without waiting for a reply, Isaac moved towards the door, already steeling himself for the tasks ahead. He paused just for a moment, turning back to Suzuka.

"I won’t forget what you’ve done for me." 

And with that, he left.

The moment Isaac disappeared from sight, Suzuka sighed, leaning back against the wall. She clicked her tongue in mild frustration, speaking aloud to herself.

"Tsk! That’s not good. I really needed his help now. Things are going to be a bit tricky keeping my place safe without him around. But..." she paused, crossing her arms, "...I can’t force my problems on him. He’s got enough on his plate as it is. Guess I’ll have to wait it out. He seems noble enough to keep his word—eventually."